A number of apparatuses exist for dispensing fluid in various quantities. Such fluid dispensers can dispense fluid of any type, such as cleaning chemicals, floor and other surface treatment fluids, comestible fluids, body sprays, oils, coolants, and other automotive, heat exchange, and/or lubricant fluids, chemical additives, paint, colorants, and the like. Also, many of these dispensers are portable, thereby enabling a user to transport such dispensers to different desired locations for fluid dispense. In some cases, the dispensers are used to dispense a quantity of fluid onto a surface, such as a surface to be cleaned or treated, whereas some dispensers can instead be used to dispense a quantity of fluid into a fluid container (e.g., bottle, sink, bucket, tank, and the like). To this end, such dispensers can include a fluid reservoir for carrying fluid to be dispensed, or can be connected to and receive fluid from a fluid reservoir through one or more hoses or other conduits.
In many applications, it is important for a fluid dispenser to dispense a metered or otherwise known dose of fluid when actuated. Such applications include the dispense of hazardous chemicals, and the use of predetermined fluid amounts for proper mixing ratios with one or more other fluids, including diluents.
It is also often desirable to control or prevent the ability of a user to refill a container of the fluid dispenser, or the ability to replace a fluid reservoir of the fluid dispenser with another fluid reservoir. For example, there are many existing products that use a connecting device that is non-removably attached to a fluid reservoir. The ability to use a fluid dispenser with products or chemicals for which it was not produced or designed is not always advantageous or desirable. In this regard, the use of a fluid dispenser with the wrong product can cause a number of problems, including dispenser leakage, failure, improper dispense amount, and even property damage and user injury as a result of incorrect dispense. Container refill control or prevention can reduce the risk of user contact with hazardous fluids dispensed by the fluid dispenser and/or retained in a fluid reservoir thereof, can prevent a user from using a fluid dispenser to dispense a fluid for which the fluid dispenser is not adapted or suitable, and can reduce the potential of health, safety, and/or other liability risks when a user uses one party's fluid dispenser to dispense fluid obtained from another party.
In light of the rapidly-developing uses and applications of fluid dispensers, it will be appreciated that fluid dispensers that are portable, are capable of dispensing two or more different amounts of fluid, prevent incorrect fluid dispense amounts, are resistant to refilling efforts, and/or are adapted to reduce opportunities for human contact with the fluid are welcome to the industry.